Disgruntled ex-employee blamed for sewing needles found in strawberries

As thousands of punnet's are recalled across Australia.
- byNikki Black

13 Sep
2018

An angered ex-employee has been blamed for deliberately planting sewing needles in strawberries, causing thousands of punnet's across Australia to be recalled.

Police have urged consumers to throw out strawberries purchased over the past week in Queensland, New South Wales and Victoria after needles were found inside the fruit.

Industry Development Officer Jennifer Rowling of Queensland Strawberry Growers Association released a statement on Wednesday of the company's suspicions.

'At this time, the Queensland Strawberry Growers Association have reason to suspect that a disgruntled ex-employee may have orchestrated the occurrence, wherein sewing needles were found in a number of strawberries, in Queensland and Victoria,' the statement read.

'To our current knowledge, two labels, Berry Licious and Berry Obsession are the only affected lines.

'We will update the Australian public as news becomes available to us.'

Joshua Gane/Facebook

Joshua Gane was one of the many who found a needle in his strawberries.

Driving with a friend,Haoni van Dorp, the two purchased a punnet of strawberries on Sunday afternoon.

Van Dorp says he bit into one and swallowed half of a sewing needle, before the pair found another.

Police believe the needles may have been deliberately planted with the perpetrator wanting to cause harm.